As the Chelsea City Council prepared to leave its Feb. 20 pre-council meeting, Mayor Tony Picklesimer summed up a discussion regarding the first ordinance on the agenda.

“Tonight, we have ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ or continue as our options,” Picklesimer said, referring to a rezoning request for a 3.54-acre property located at 62 Griffin Corporate Drive. The comment followed a discussion and a few questions from council members, regarding to the property and process if the B-1 to B-2 rezoning was approved.

The request previously came before the council at its Feb. 6 meeting, at which time the council motioned to delay a vote on the rezoning. At that meeting, a public hearing was held, and two Chelsea residents expressed concerns regarding the rezoning.

During a pre-council discussion of the rezoning request, council member Tiffany Bittner brought up the concerns from the public hearing, including comments that the lot was poorly maintained.

“I understand that moving forward, he’s saying he’ll do these things, improve the looks of it,” Bittner said, regarding the state of the property. “However, he’s had the property for a while, and there are some questions about the care of the property thus far. I have some concerns about that.”

Council member Casey Morris said he was concerned that the property owner wasn’t meeting B-1 zoning requirements and asked what would happen if he didn’t meet B-2 requirements. Weygand said if he didn’t meet the requirements, the city could revoke his business license.

The property is already in violation of its zoning, Picklesimer said. According to Google Maps, the Chelsea Quick Mart and Jubilee Motors, as well as a used car dealership, exist at 62 Griffin Corporate Drive. That address is also listed on the Jubilee Motors Facebook page.

The matter in front of the council, Picklesimer said, was not approval or disapproval of a used car lot.

“There are two issues at hand here. There’s the issue of zoning, and there’s the issue of engineering,” Picklesimer said. The question before the council, he said, was zoning. It was not a matter of the lights, green space or pavement at the potential car lot, he added.

B-1 is supposed to be a “commercial, corner market in the middle of residential,” Picklesimer said. The property in question, he added, is an island of B-1 in the middle of several properties zoned B-2. Choosing to rezone B-2 would allow the possibility of a used car lot, the mayor added.

“If we say, ‘yes’ to B-2, then this owner comes back to the planning commission with his drawings, what he’s going to do,” Picklesimer said.

Picklesimer also said the property owner has two businesses in Chelsea.

“That’s one side that’s pretty hard, pretty tough for me. He owns two businesses in Chelsea,” Picklesimer said. “...He has paid thousands and thousands of dollars of tax revenue to our city and just wants to grow his business. That’s the side of me that’s pulling on me too. I’m not going to try to sell you on it, but tonight we’ve got yes, no or continue as our options.”

During the meeting, the council voted to suspend the rules for immediate consideration of the ordinance. After Weygand motioned for approval of the rezoning, council member Cody Sumners seconded it. The rezoning was approved by a 4-2 vote, with Bittner and Morris voting against it.

Even after the rezoning was approved, Weygand said the owner would have to come before the planning and zoning commission with a plan for the property. If that plan met a list of requirements and received approval from the city engineer, Weygand said, the property owner could move forward with the business.

“It’s a supplemental use, which means they have to come before the planning and zoning commission, and they have a very long list of things they need to do before they even have it there,” Weygand said in pre-council. “… The city engineer Keith Hager is going to have to sign off on [the plan], approve it, recommend it, so the planning commission knows he’s meeting the green space and all the other requirements before it would even get approved.”

The property will not have to come back before the Chelsea City Council.

During the meeting, Picklesimer also announced that Field 2 at the Chelsea Sports Complex on Highway 11 would be named the Kristi Barker Ingram Field in honor of Kristi Ingram, who died in November after a years-long battle with breast cancer.

The projector screen, during Picklesimer’s mayor’s report, showed a photo of Field 2.

“It appears to me that something is missing,” Picklesimer said, as a few audience members walked forward holding two large, black signs. The signs had Kristi Ingram’s name and the KBI logo which has been printed on shirts in support of Ingram and her family.

The logo includes her initials — KBI — an outline of home plate and a pink ribbon representing breast cancer awareness.

“Your family has meant so much to this athletic community, and your mom, just the spirit behind the whole thing. We just wanted to recognize you with something that would be very permanent,” Picklesimer said, addressing Ingram’s husband, council member David Ingram, and their family members in the audience.

Also at the meeting, the council:

Heard an update from Chelsea High School baseball coach Michael Stallings, who discussed a potential indoor athletic facility project. The city hopes to contribute upwards of $100,000 toward the project, which would be used for multiple sports, Picklesimer said.

Recognized the CHHS baseball team for a 2-0 start and wished them luck for a good season.

Had the first reading of a proposed ordinance to removed abandoned vehicles and property from the right-of-way after 48 hours. The ordinance will come up for a vote at the next council meeting.

Approved an annexation request for a 5.7-acre property on Dorough Road.

Passed a resolution in support of legislation concerning privately-owned sewer systems.

Approved a resolution for the public radio system upgrade and expansion for the city.